How he affects the current roster
Noel joins a rotation that saw Steven Adams play a bulk of the minutes at the center position. Adams averaged 13.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 32.7 minutes per contest last season.
The beauty of adding Nerlens Noel is that there’s very little risk with taking on his contract. If he works out this season, he has the option to opt-in next season. If he doesn’t opt in, he can always seek a new team for 2019-20.
Rookie Dakari Johnson was the backup center in 2017-18 and could compete with Noel for time. If anything, Johnson can test Noel’s work ethic (or lack thereof) for the backup position. Johnson appeared in 31 games for the Thunder last year, averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in just 5.2 minutes per game.
Noel certainly enters with the advantage of experience, he’ll just need to prove himself to the Oklahoma City coaching staff and locker room.